Category Archives: Belfast

Forgotten Memories

I was in Belfast today, and driving slowly past this litter bin, I caught a glimpse of the poppy wreath on top of the bin. A poignant reminder perhaps tat nothing in this life lasts forever, not even our acts of remembrance. 

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5

I stopped the car, and photographed it with the Fujifilm X-T5 camera. 

Which camera is best…

There’s a common question asked, “Which camera is best for…” Add your own circumstances! Yesterday I was faced with a stark choice. I was at a country churchyard around dusk, and there was a magnificent sky behind the silhouetted church building and trees. I wanted that image! So here it is:-

So, what’s the answer to the conundrum? Which camera is best for a shot like this? The answer is…

Whatever camera you have with you!

In this case, just an iPhone 12!

CAVE HILL, BELFAST

CAVE HILL, BELFAST, from Hightown Road.

Image made with a Nikon FG20 using Ilford Delta 3200, pulled to ISO1600. f=34mm, f/16 @ 1/500th sec.

A good film choice for a wintery day, although this image was made during weak sunshine.

This is a fast (by film standards) film, which accounts for its grainy appearance. In the developing tank, I split the processing time between 1600ISO and 3200ISO, giving it 10 mins 30 secs in Fotospeed FD10, mixed at 1/9 at 20deg, then 1 minute stop bath in 20 deg. water, 2 mins in hypo-clear and 10 mins wash.

It’s the first time I’ve used this film, and I must admit I expected more contrast in the scanned image, but, there’s another film loaded, and I’ll try again.

Westbourne Street

Westbourne Street in east Belfast is now hardly a street at all! A dead-end with no houses or buildings of its own, – now terminated prematurely by the railings of a local FE College.

Westbourne Street, Belfast

I stopped there and parked, on a day when I had a few minutes to kill before an appointment, and got out to make a few images, with the help of the Nikon FM3a and a roll of Ilford HP5 (ISO400)

Continue reading Westbourne Street

Stepping Back in Time…

The Ballymacarrett Train Crash

Looking back to a 1945 tragedy, the Ballymacarrett rail crash. This mural is painted on the gable of ‘Claires’ in Dee Street, East Belfast. Photographed with the Nikon FM3a on Ilford HP5 film, ISO100.